1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus capable of preventing fogging of a cover glass.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, an endoscope apparatus is used in various fields such as medical field, industrial field, and the like. In the medical field, an endoscope apparatus is used, for example, for observation of organs in a body cavity, therapeutic treatment using a treatment instrument, surgery under observation by an endoscope, and the like.
In such a medical field, an endoscope is inserted into a body, inside environment of which having a temperature equal to a body temperature and high humidity. When an endoscope is inserted in the body having such an environment, fogging sometimes occurs on a cover glass disposed at a distal end portion of the endoscope. In order to prevent the fogging, it is necessary to insert the endoscope into the body after warming the cover glass.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-291684 proposes a surgical endoscope in which electricity is generated corresponding to a temperature difference between inside and outside of the endoscope, and fogging of a cover glass is prevented by warming the cover glass with a heat generating element disposed at a distal end portion of the endoscope.